Chapter 12

In the midst of Lu Jingzhe’s scolding, Xia Qingning groggily opened her eyes. She felt intensely hot, her hands and feet heavy as if filled with lead. She tried to speak, but her throat was too sore to make a sound.

She was delirious with fever, only feeling the coolness of the person beside her, finding comfort in their proximity.

“Hmm…” she groaned, struggling to breathe, and mumbled:

“I feel so bad…”

Then she started to climb onto him.

This ambiguous sound, unrestrained words, and wanton actions, even if Lu Jingzhe was slow to react, he understood the meaning behind her discomfort.

This woman was shameless, trying the same trick again! He should have never trusted her!

Lu Jingzhe could no longer bear it. He turned over, stood up from the bed, turned on the light, pulled the blanket off Xia Qingning, and with great effort suppressed the urge to throw her off the bed, shouting:

“Get out.”

Xia Qingning had no strength left, lying there limply.

Seeing her unmoving, Lu Jingzhe had no patience and wasn’t going to indulge her. He reached out to pull her, but his hand touched her skin, and he realized something was wrong. Why was she so hot?

He reacted and tested her forehead, only then discovering she had a high fever.

“Xia Qingning.” He tried to wake her, but the person on the bed didn’t react at all. Her small face was flushed red, her eyes wouldn’t open, clearly delirious from the fever.

She was weak, and continuing like this wouldn’t do. She needed to go to the hospital.

Lu Jingzhe quickly put on the jacket from the chair, grabbed some money from the cabinet, took the clothes Xia Qingning had sewn for him the night before and put them on her, then opened the door, walked over, picked her up, and walked out.

The commotion in the room had already woken up the others. Wang Mingfang opened the door in her nightgown and saw Lu Jingzhe carrying Xia Qingning out, asking in surprise:

“Oh, what happened?”

Then Lu Lidong also came out of the room, looking at the unconscious Xia Qingning with a confused expression:

“What’s wrong with her?”

“She has a fever. I’m taking her to the hospital.” Lu Jingzhe said calmly, without any worry or tension.

“Should we go with you? It looks like she’s pretty serious.” Lu Lidong asked symbolically.

“It’s fine, I’ll go alone.” Lu Jingzhe finished, carrying Xia Qingning directly out.

“Send a message back when you get there.” Wang Mingfang called out to Lu Jingzhe’s back.

At this time, He Shanshan was also woken up. She yawned, looked at Lu Jingzhe carrying Xia Qingning away with displeasure, and asked:

“What are they making a fuss about in the middle of the night?”

“Xia Qingning seems to be sick. She’s being taken to the hospital now.”

He Shanshan rolled her eyes and said:

“She’s always making a fuss.”

In a daze, Xia Qingning felt herself being carried forward. The person’s hands were strong, firmly holding her in his arms. Although he was carrying someone, he walked steadily, without any bumps or jolts.

Her head rested on his shoulder. Perhaps because of the fever, she only felt that the shoulder was strong and cool, and it was incredibly comfortable to lean against.

Driven by the desire for that coolness, she rubbed her head against him, pushing against his clothes until her face was completely pressed against his skin without any obstruction. Only then was she satisfied and stopped moving.

The moment their skin touched, Lu Jingzhe’s pupils involuntarily contracted. He didn’t know if it was the heat of her body that burned him.

Because of her illness, her breathing was rapid and hot, her scorching breath lingering around Lu Jingzhe’s neck.

He always resisted physical contact with people, but now he was being leaned against so intimately by a woman, and a woman he somewhat disliked. He couldn’t help but frown.

But she was sick after all. No matter how uncomfortable he felt, he couldn’t get angry at an unconscious person. He hesitated for a moment, adjusted his posture, held Xia Qingning with one hand, raised the other, pulled his clothes back, and separated her face from the outside.

The person in his arms, unable to find the coolness, immediately became unhappy. She pushed his clothes open again, even reaching out to hug his neck.

The cool touch made Xia Qingning feel much better. She opened her hazy eyes, and Lu Jingzhe’s handsome face was in front of her.

From her angle, she could see his clean and sharp jawline, his long and strong neck. Because he was carrying someone, his body was forced to exert effort, and the muscles in his neck were tense.

For a moment, she couldn’t tell if it was reality or a dream. She asked in a hoarse voice, confused:

“Lu Jinze?”

Seeing her wake up, Lu Jingzhe thought she was calling him. He didn’t respond. Just as he was about to tell her not to rub against him, he heard her whisper:

“Why would I dream of you?”

Seeing that she wasn’t fully awake, Lu Jingzhe felt there was no point in saying anything. He kept his mouth shut and continued walking, carrying her.

They soon arrived at the hospital.

When Xia Qingning woke up, it was already the next day. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a glass IV bottle hanging above her head. A thick yellow IV tube was dripping liquid down.

Realizing she was in the hospital, Xia Qingning couldn’t help but lament how weak this body was!

Fortunately, she had chosen to cling to Lu Jingzhe. If she had divorced him, with this body, going back to the countryside to farm, she wouldn’t die from exhaustion, but she would starve to death.

After her Sighing, she turned her head and saw Lu Jingzhe sitting by the bed. Perhaps he was too tired, he had fallen asleep in the chair, his head slightly tilted back, his eyelashes drooping, his nose high and straight, his breathing even.

Because he was asleep, the aloof coldness he usually exuded was much weaker. Xia Qingning looked at him so closely, she couldn’t help but exclaim:

This man is so handsome!

They say a crew cut is the ultimate test of looks, but his face could perfectly handle it. Without the embellishment of a hairstyle, his features were even more distinct and his features superior. Such a face would be considered top-notch in any era.

Perhaps due to the sharp senses of a soldier, Lu Jingzhe, who was being watched by Xia Qingning, quickly woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he met her direct gaze.

Their eyes met, Xia Qingning was caught looking, and she quickly averted her gaze in embarrassment. She was about to pretend to be asleep, but she heard the man ask in a low voice:

“Awake?”

“Yeah.” Xia Qingning saw that she couldn’t pretend anymore, so she could only answer softly.

“Hungry?” Lu Jingzhe asked, without any intention of exposing her.

As soon as he reminded her, Xia Qingning suddenly felt her stomach rumbling. She nodded and replied:

“Hungry.”

“I’ll go get you something to eat.” Lu Jingzhe said, then stood up and walked out of the ward.

As he reached the door, a female doctor came in. He stepped aside to let her pass. The female doctor walked in, her eyes paused on him for a moment, then suddenly stopped. First, she was surprised, then she couldn’t hide her joy, and called out his name:

“Lu Jingzhe.”